The present invention relates to eye wear. More particularly, this invention relates to lightweight flexible, collapsible, portable eye wear with strategically located pads to prevent the edges of the lens of the eye wear from pinching the wearer""s face, while still allowing the eye wear assembly to be easily collapsed to fit within a small portable container.
Eye wear is available in a myriad of designs and configurations. Given the continued development of new plastics, the trend has been toward eye wear designs which are extremely lightweight, yet still robust.
One type of lightweight eye wear is used specifically for protecting the eyes of wearers after ophthalmic surgery or other types of eye treatment. These types of eye protectors are commonly known as post-mydriatic sunglasses and are designed to completely wrap around the wearer""s eyes. In some cases, the wearer""s eyes may be very sensitive to light due to previous pupil dilation which has not yet subsided, requiring a tinted lens. In other circumstances, e.g., cataract surgery, the eye protector needs to completely envelop the patient""s eyes to ensure any potentially damaging dust or other particles are not blown into the eyes. Post-mydriatic sunglasses are also intended to prevent a patient from inadvertently rubbing the eyes, which could prove disastrous given recent delicate surgery.
Rollens Professional Products, Inc. of Denver, Colo., produces a version of post-mydriatic sunglasses which consists of a single collapsible film-like lens. In their natural relaxed state, the Rollens sunglasses tend to close into a spiral. The Rollens post-mydriatic sunglasses are designed only for use by eye patients with an immediate and reasonably short-lived need.
The Rollens lens is held in place on the wearer""s face by its natural tendency to collapse to its relaxed spiral state. Clamping or gripping forces are created when the lens is unwound and placed on the face of a wearer. The tension forces cause the edges of the Rollens lens to frictionally engage the wearer""s temples.
The benefits of the Rollens configuration include portability, ability to fit any size face, low cost, and the provision of a wrap-around configuration. However, the Rollens lens is known to be somewhat uncomfortable. The edges of the lens, which secure the lens to the wearer""s face, tend to pinch the wearer at the temples. In addition, the placement of the non-breathable plastic lens against the wearer""s skin induces perspiration. The perspiration is irritating to the wearer, and, causes the lens to more easily slip off the wearer""s face by reducing the friction between the inside surface of the lens and the wearer""s skin.
Accordingly, a need exists for a simple and inexpensive wraparound eye wear that is lightweight, collapsible and comfortable, providing a breathable enclosure to minimize perspiration and resulting wearer irritation while concurrently enhancing retention on the face of the wearer during dynamic activity.
The present invention is lightweight, collapsible and comfortable eye wear. The eye wear includes a flexible film-like lens whose natural relaxed state is a somewhat rolled-up configuration. To place the apparatus on the face of a wearer, the lens is unrolled from its natural relaxed state to wraparound the wearer""s eyes from temple to temple. Once unrolled and placed in position across the wearer""s eyes, a return force is created by the natural desire of the resilient film-like material to equalize forces of stress by returning to its natural unstressed relaxed state. The lens return force creates a clamping force at each edge of the lens to partially retain the lens on the face of the wearer. The eye wear assembly also includes an adjustable, elastic retention band to augment the clamping forces and snugly retain the eye wear in its proper position on the face of the wearer.
Several foam-like pads extend from the inside concave surface of the lens to rest against the wearer""s face and provide a means of cushioning. These pads are distributed about the edges of the lens in a manner that creates gaps/vents which allow air to naturally circulate between the lens and the face of the wearer. The enhanced breathability minimizes perspiration, reduces lens fogging and increases overall comfort while in use. The foam pads are soft, resilient and sufficiently compressible to allow the lens to be rolled-up to fit within a small cylindrical storage container.
To use the present invention, the eye wear assembly is first removed from its small cylindrical container. The lens is then unwrapped so that it may be placed over the eyes of the intended wearer, with its pads adjacent the wearer""s face. The lens is initially at least partially held in place by the clamping force generated by the stretching of the lens during unwrapping, causing the left and right wings to press against and frictionally engage the temples of the wearer. Once the lens is in place on the wearer""s face, the elastic retention band may then be stretched to wrap about the rear of the wearer""s head, increasing the assurance that the lens will be snugly secured.
Temple pads are attached to the rear concave surface of the wings of the lens to spread the wing clamping force across a greater area of the wearer""s temples, thereby reducing the pressure on the wearer""s temples and minimizing wearer discomfort. The temple pads also set the lens off from the face of the wearer to enhance air circulation between the face of the wearer and the lens.
Hence, the present invention provides wraparound eye wear which may be snugly secured on the face of the user while providing an increased level of comfort. In addition, the present invention provides a means for quickly and easily storing the entire assembly in a small container, such as a container approximately the same size as that which normally contains a roll of 35 mm film.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly that includes strategically placed pads to enhance comfort while being worn, yet still allows the assembly to be collapsed for storage in a small cylindrical container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly that includes a retention band to enhance retention of the assembly on the face of the wearer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly that includes strategically placed pads which set the lens of the assembly off from the face of the wearer to increase cooling air circulation and minimize lens fogging during use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly that includes strategically placed pads on the film-like lens which prevent the lens from resting directly on the skin of the wearer, thereby minimizing induced perspiration and increasing comfort for the wearer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly with a resilient lens whose relaxed state is in a closed spiral or circular configuration such that, when installed, the lens is at least partially held in place by clamping forces created when the lens is unwrapped to form an open crescent shape to extend across the eyes of the wearer from temple to temple.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly with a resilient lens that does not pinch the wearer""s face when installed, providing a more comfortable wearing experience.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly with a resilient lens that includes offsetting and comfort enhancing resilient foam pads, along with a retention band, but can still be rolled to fit within a cylindrical container approximately the size of a typical plastic container used for storing individual rolls of 35 millimeter film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an eye wear assembly of simple and reliable manufacture from commonly available materials.
Other further objects of the present invention will become apparent form a careful reading of the included drawing figures, the claims and detailed description of the invention.